Not Suitable to Keep! Here are 6 interesting facts about owls

Ancient people thought that owls were animals that brought bad omens. However, you don't need to worry because, of course, this is just a myth. In fact, in general, owls are not much different from various other types of birds. However, because the stories circulating among the public are accompanied by their nocturnal behavior, it is not surprising that they were eventually recognized as owls.

Owls are called nocturnal animals because they do their activities at night and sleep during the day. This is one of the reasons why owls are considered scary by some people. However, behind its mysterious nature, it turns out that owls store various interesting facts that would be a shame to miss. Summarized from various sources, here are some facts about owls!

Interesting Owl Facts

Owls Can Be Very Destructive

Owls have a natural killing instinct, and they may apply it to several items in your home, such as blankets, clothes, pillows, stuffed animals, and anything else that can be torn apart. Apart from that, owl claws are also very bad for wood. Not many realize it, but owls can really highlight the natural grain of wood when they peel back the finish. This is why they are not suitable to be kept indoors.

Owls Should Not Be Kept

In some countries, keeping owls without a special permit is illegal. Meanwhile, according to The Owl World of Indonesia, owls are not meant to be kept. The reason is this animal, which for some people looks adorable, is a wild animal. When it comes to the first point, it looks like you really have to think again if you want to maintain it, right?

In certain countries, there are also those who have issued permits to individuals to keep owls on condition that they have carried out the necessary training and have built appropriate facilities. People who can keep owls should be trained and licensed when they are rehabilitated, as part of a breeding program, as foster parents in a rehabilitation facility, for educational purposes, or even for certain species to be used for hunting in some states.

Noise-Muffling Owl Wings

Owls are known as animals that can fly silently while hunting. This is because owls can minimize the flapping of their wings, which makes their movements inaudible when gliding to catch prey. Not only that, owl wings are also covered with fine feathers, which can muffle the sound of their wings flapping. This way, the prey they are targeting will not know they are there.

Has No Eyeballs

Did you know that owls don't have eyeballs? Owls do have a unique eye structure than most other types of birds. This animal, which is often associated with mystical events, apparently has tube-like eyes held in place by sclerotic rings. That's why owls can't move or roll their eyes. However, owls can still see objects with both eyes at the same time. This is because they have binocular vision.

This also causes owls to have great abilities in judging weight, height, and distance. It is also known that owls have three eyelids, which have different functions, namely for sleeping, blinking, and keeping the eyes clean.

Having nearsightedness problems

Owls have eyes that are tubular, not round. Meanwhile, the shape of their eyes makes it difficult for them to see at close range. On the other hand, owls can see very sharply and can also focus at long distances. This is what makes it easier for owls to catch their prey deftly and very accurately. In general, owls will watch and stalk their prey from a considerable distance or height before catching them.

The sound the owl hears has been magnified tenfold

Did you know that owls have a very sharp hearing? The relatively flat shape of owls' faces apparently helps them to hear sounds better. The shape of their face helps channel sound to the ear so that it sounds ten times louder. This is why owls are considered to be animals that are very sensitive to small movements and quiet sounds from living creatures around them. This ability makes it easier for owls to hunt when it is completely dark at night.

It is able to turn its head up to 270 degrees

Most people assume that owls can turn their heads up to 360 degrees. In fact, owls can only turn their heads 270 degrees or 135 degrees in both directions from in front of them. This ability is still related to owls, which do not have eyeballs, so they have to turn their heads if they want to look around.

After knowing some interesting facts about these owls, which ones have you heard of?

Image source: Pexels/Brett Sayles

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